The role of two putative nitroreductases, Frm2p and Hbn1p, in the oxidative stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DprE1 and Ddn as promising therapeutic targets in the development of novel anti-tuberculosis nitroaromatic drugs

Tuberculosis remains the second deadliest infectious disease in humans and a public health threat due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB) strains. Therefore, it is urgent to identify new anti-tuberculosis treatments and novel therapeutic targets to prevent the emergence of resistance. In recent years, the study of anti-tuberculosis properties of nitroaromatic compounds has led to the identification of two novel biological targets, the deazaflavin (F420)-dependent nitroreductase Ddn and the decaprenylphosphoryl-β-d-ribose 2'-epimerase DprE1. This review aims to show why Ddn and DprE1 are promising therapeutic targets and highlight nitroaromatic compounds interest in developing new anti-tuberculosis treatments active against MDR-TB and XDR-TB. Despite renewed interest in the development of new anti-tuberculosis nitroaromatic compounds, pharmaceutical companies often exclude nitro-containing molecules from their drug discovery programs because of their toxic and mutagenic potential. This exclusion results in missed opportunities to identify new nitroaromatic compounds and promising therapeutic targets.

Oxidative stress induces coordinated remodeling of RNA-enzyme interactions

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are key post-transcriptional regulators that play a substantial role during stress adaptation. Recent proteome-wide surveys have uncovered a large number of new and “unconventional” RBPs such as metabolic enzymes, yet little is known about the reconfiguration of the RNA-binding proteome (RBPome) and RNA-enzyme interactions in response to cellular stress. Here, we applied RNA-interactome capture to monitor the dynamics of the mRBPome upon mild oxidative stress in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Among the 257 proteins that significantly changed RNA associations, we observed the coordinated remodeling of RNA-binding enzymes — particularly of the central carbon metabolism — that complemented known metabolic responses. Furthermore, we recognized the propensity for paralogous specific alterations of enzyme-RNA interactions. Our results suggest coordinated cross talk between RNA-enzyme interactions and intermediary metabolism to maintain the physiological and molecular balance upon oxidative stress, perhaps through specialization of paralogous during evolution.

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Oxidative stress induces the rearrangement of 257 proteins on polyadenylated RNAs

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Coordinated response of RNA-enzyme interactions and metabolism

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Yeast RNA-binding enzymes are paralog specific

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Integration of three different mass spectrometry analysis tools

Evolutionary aspects of the Viridiplantae nitroreductases

Background

Nitroreductases are a family of evolutionarily related proteins catalyzing the reduction of nitro-substituted compounds. Nitroreductases are widespread enzymes, but nearly all modern research and practical application have been concentrated on the bacterial proteins, mainly nitroreductases of Escherichia coli. The main aim of this study is to describe the phylogenic distribution of the nitroreductases in the photosynthetic eukaryotes (Viridiplantae) to highlight their structural similarity and areas for future research and application.

Results

This study suggests that homologs of nitroreductase proteins are widely presented also in Viridiplantae. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree reconstruction method and comparison of the structural models suggest close evolutional relation between cyanobacterial and Viridiplantae nitroreductases.

Conclusions

This study provides the first attempt to understand the evolution of nitroreductase protein family in Viridiplantae. Our phylogeny estimation and preservation of the chloroplasts/mitochondrial localization indicate the evolutional origin of the plant nitroreductases from the cyanobacterial endosymbiont. A defined high level of the similarity on the structural level suggests conservancy also for the functions. Directions for the future research and industrial application of the Viridiplantae nitroreductases are discussed.

Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing a cold-adaptive nitroreductase gene exhibited enhanced 2,4-dinitrotoluene detoxification rate at low temperature

Plants encounter many environmental factors such as low and high temperatures during phytoremediation processes. In this study, our aim was to produce the transgenic tobacco plants by using a newly characterized bacterial nitroreductase, Ntr, which was active at a broad range temperature in order to detoxify 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) at lower temperature. The presence of Ntr and its heterologous expression was verified in T1 transgenic plants and their growing ability were determined under toxic amount of 2,4-DNT (35 µM). Fresh weight and dry weight of transgenic plants were significantly higher than wild type (WT) under toxic 2,4-DNT at 22 °C, indicating higher growth capacity of the transgenics. Transgenic plants also showed a higher tolerance than WT when exposed to 2,4-DNT at 15 °C. Moreover, transformation rate of 2,4-DNT was gradually decreased through decreasing temperatures in WT media, however, it was increased through decreasing temperatures in transgenic plant TR3-25 media and it had the highest transformation rate (54%) of 2,4-DNT at 4 °C. Correlatively, 2,4-DNT treatment at 4 °C led to a significant decrease in H2O2 level in transgenic plants. Thus, transgenic plants overexpressing nitroreductase might have an important advantage for phytoremediation of toxic nitroaromatic compounds in field applications at low temperatures.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Amendment Alter the Bacterial Community Structure in the Rhizosphere of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and Improve Crop Yield

Availability of nitrogen (N) in soil changes the composition and activities of microbial community, which is critical for the processing of soil organic matter and health of crop plants. Inappropriate application of N fertilizer can alter the rhizosphere microbial community and disturb the soil N homeostasis. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of different ratio of N fertilizer at various early to late growth stages of rice, while keeping the total N supply constant on rice growth performance, microbial community structure, and soil protein expression in rice rhizosphere. Two different N regimes were applied, i.e., traditional N application (NT) consists of three sessions including 60, 30 and 10% at pre-transplanting, tillering and panicle initiation stages, respectively, while efficient N application (NF) comprises of four sessions, i.e., 30, 30, 30, and 10%), where the fourth session was extended to anthesis stage. Soil metaproteomics combined with Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) were used to determine the rhizosphere biological process. Under NF application, soil enzymes, nitrogen utilization efficiency and rice yield were significantly higher compared to NT application. T-RFLP and qPCR analysis revealed differences in rice rhizosphere bacterial diversity and structure. NF significantly decreased the specific microbes related to denitrification, but opposite result was observed for bacteria associated with nitrification. Furthermore, soil metaproteomics analysis showed that 88.28% of the soil proteins were derived from microbes, 5.74% from plants, and 6.25% from fauna. Specifically, most of the identified microbial proteins were involved in carbohydrate, amino acid and protein metabolisms. Our experiments revealed that NF positively regulates the functioning of the rhizosphere ecosystem and further enabled us to put new insight into microbial communities and soil protein expression in rice rhizosphere.

An In Vivo Zebrafish Model for Interrogating ROS-Mediated Pancreatic β-Cell Injury, Response, and Prevention

It is well known that a chronic state of elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) in pancreatic β-cells impairs their ability to release insulin in response to elevated plasma glucose. Moreover, at its extreme, unmitigated ROS drives regulated cell death. This dysfunctional state of ROS buildup can result both from genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as obesity and overnutrition. Importantly, excessive ROS buildup may underlie metabolic pathologies such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. The ability to monitor ROS dynamics in β-cells in situ and to manipulate it via genetic, pharmacological, and environmental means would accelerate the development of novel therapeutics that could abate this pathology. Currently, there is a lack of models with these attributes that are available to the field. In this study, we use a zebrafish model to demonstrate that ROS can be generated in a β-cell-specific manner using a hybrid chemical genetic approach. Using a transgenic nitroreductase-expressing zebrafish line, Tg(ins:Flag-NTR)s950 , treated with the prodrug metronidazole (MTZ), we found that ROS is rapidly and explicitly generated in β-cells. Furthermore, the level of ROS generated was proportional to the dosage of prodrug added to the system. At high doses of MTZ, caspase 3 was rapidly cleaved, β-cells underwent regulated cell death, and macrophages were recruited to the islet to phagocytose the debris. Based on our findings, we propose a model for the mechanism of NTR/MTZ action in transgenic eukaryotic cells and demonstrate the robust utility of this system to model ROS-related disease pathology.

Crystal structure of the fungal nitroreductase Frm2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Nitroreductases are flavoenzymes that catalyze nitrocompounds and are widely utilized in industrial applications due to their detoxification potential and activation of biomedicinal prodrugs. Type I nitroreductases are classified into subgroups depending on the use of NADPH or NADH as the electron donor. Here, we report the crystal structure of the fungal nitroreductase Frm2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the uncharacterized subgroups of proteins, to reveal its minimal architecture previously observed in bacterial nitroreductases such as CinD and YdjA. The structure lacks protruding helical motifs that form part of the cofactor and substrate binding site, resulting in an open and wide active site geometry. Arg82 is uniquely conserved in proximity to the substrate binding site in Frm2 homologues and plays a crucial role in the activity of the active site. Frm2 primarily utilizes NADH to reduce 4-NQO. Because missing helical elements are involved in the direct binding to the NAD(P)H in group A or group B in Type I family, Frm2 and its homologues may represent a distinctive subgroup with an altered binding mode for the reducing compound. This result provides a structural basis for the rational design of novel prodrugs with the ability to reduce nitrogen-containing hazardous molecules.

Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of the bile stress response in a centenarian-originated probiotic Bifidobacterium longum BBMN68

Bifidobacteria are natural inhabitants of the human gastrointestinal tract and well known for their health-promoting effects. Tolerance to bile stress is crucial for bifidobacteria to survive in the colon and to exert their beneficial actions. In this work, RNA-Seq transcriptomic analysis complemented with proteomic analysis was used to investigate the cellular response to bile in Bifidobacterium longum BBMN68. The transcript levels of 236 genes were significantly changed (≥ threefold, p < 0.001) and 44 proteins were differentially abundant (≥1.6-fold, p < 0.01) in B. longum BBMN68 when exposed to 0.75 g l(-1) ox-bile. The hemolysin-like protein and bile efflux systems were significantly over produced, which might prevent bile adsorption and exclude bile, respectively. The cell membrane composition was modified probably by an increase of cyclopropane fatty acid and a decrease of transmembrane proteins, resulting in a cell membrane more impermeable to bile salts. Our hypothesis was later confirmed by surface hydrophobicity assay. The transcription of genes related to xylose utilization and bifid shunt were up-regulated, which increased the production of ATP and reducing equivalents to cope with bile-induced damages in a xylan-rich colon environment. Bile salts signal the B. longum BBMN68 to gut entrance and enhance the expression of esterase and sortase associated with adhesion and colonization in intestinal tract, which was supported by a fivefold increased adhesion ability to HT-29 cells by BBMN68 upon bile exposure. Notably, bacterial one-hybrid and EMSA assay revealed that the two-component system senX3-regX3 controlled the expression of pstS in bifidobacteria and the role of this target gene in bile resistance was further verified by heterologous expression in Lactococcus lactis. Taken altogether, this study established a model for global response mechanisms in B. longum to bile.

Application of 6-nitrocoumarin as a substrate for the fluorescent detection of nitroreductase activity in Sporothrix schenckii

Introduction

Sporothrix schenckii is a thermal dimorphic pathogenic fungus causing a subcutaneous mycosis, sporotrichosis. Nitrocoumarin represents a fluorogenic substrate class where the microbial nitroreductase activity produces several derivatives, already used in several other enzyme assays. The objective of this study was the analysis of 6-nitrocoumarin (6-NC) as a substrate to study the nitroreductase activity in Sporothrix schenckii.

Methods

Thirty-five samples of S. schenckii were cultivated for seven, 14 and 21 days at 35 °C in a microculture containing 6-nitrocoumarin or 6-aminocoumarin (6-AC) dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide or dimethyl sulfoxide as a negative control, for posterior examination under an epifluorescence microscope. The organic layer of the seven, 14 and 21-day cultures was analyzed by means of direct illumination with 365 nm UV light and by means of elution on G silica gel plate with hexane:ethyl acetate 1:4 unveiled with UV light.

Results

All of the strains showed the presence of 6-AC (yellow fluorescence) and 6-hydroxylaminocoumarin (blue fluorescence) in thin layer chromatography, which explains the green fluorescence observed in the fungus structure.

Conclusion

The nitroreductase activity is widely distributed in the S. schenckii complex and 6-NC is a fluorogenic substrate of easy access and applicability for the nitroreductase activity detection.

RACK1/Asc1p, a ribosomal node in cellular signaling

RACK1/Asc1p and its essential orthologues in higher eukaryotes, such as RACK1 in metazoa, are involved in several distinct cellular signaling processes. The implications of a total deletion have never been assessed in a comprehensive manner. This study reveals the major cellular processes affected in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Δasc1 deletion background via de novo proteome and transcriptome analysis, as well as subsequent phenotypical characterizations. The deletion of ASC1 reduces iron uptake and causes nitrosative stress, both known indicators for hypoxia, which manifests in a shift of energy metabolism from respiration to fermentation in the Δasc1 strain. Asc1p further impacts cellular metabolism through its regulative role in the MAP kinase signal transduction pathways of invasive/filamentous growth and cell wall integrity. In the Δasc1 mutant strain, aberrations from the expected cellular response, mediated by these pathways, can be observed and are linked to changes in protein abundances of pathway-targeted transcription factors. Evidence of the translational regulation of such transcription factors suggests that ribosomal Asc1p is involved in signal transduction pathways and controls the biosynthesis of the respective final transcriptional regulators.

Gene discovery for the bark beetle-vectored fungal tree pathogen Grosmannia clavigera

Background

Grosmannia clavigera is a bark beetle-vectored fungal pathogen of pines that causes wood discoloration and may kill trees by disrupting nutrient and water transport. Trees respond to attacks from beetles and associated fungi by releasing terpenoid and phenolic defense compounds. It is unclear which genes are important for G. clavigera's ability to overcome antifungal pine terpenoids and phenolics.

Results

We constructed seven cDNA libraries from eight G. clavigera isolates grown under various culture conditions, and Sanger sequenced the 5' and 3' ends of 25,000 cDNA clones, resulting in 44,288 high quality ESTs. The assembled dataset of unique transcripts (unigenes) consists of 6,265 contigs and 2,459 singletons that mapped to 6,467 locations on the G. clavigera reference genome, representing ~70% of the predicted G. clavigera genes. Although only 54% of the unigenes matched characterized proteins at the NCBI database, this dataset extensively covers major metabolic pathways, cellular processes, and genes necessary for response to environmental stimuli and genetic information processing. Furthermore, we identified genes expressed in spores prior to germination, and genes involved in response to treatment with lodgepole pine phloem extract (LPPE).

Conclusions

We provide a comprehensively annotated EST dataset for G. clavigera that represents a rich resource for gene characterization in this and other ophiostomatoid fungi. Genes expressed in response to LPPE treatment are indicative of fungal oxidative stress response. We identified two clusters of potentially functionally related genes responsive to LPPE treatment. Furthermore, we report a simple method for identifying contig misassemblies in de novo assembled EST collections caused by gene overlap on the genome.